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The Unthanks

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ABOUT

The Unthanks

Friday

22

Jun 2018

There are no easy one-liners to capture who or what The Unthanks are.

You might find them singing in a Tyneside folk club one night, and playing to 2000 Londoners the next, having performed to a primary school in the afternoon. You might find them collaborating with Adrian Utley (Portishead) one moment, and writing the score to an archive film about shipyards the next. Or visiting Africa with Damon Albarn, Flea and Joan As Policewoman and then presenting a TV programme for BBC4 about traditional dance. Rubbing shoulders with Robert Plant, Adele, Elbow and Radiohead at the Mercurys, or in a bunkhouse on the coastline of Northumberland cooking for 50 fans on one of their residential singing weekends.

You'll find them played by the folk show on BBC Radio 2, but equally by cutting edge BBC6 Music, Radio 3 and Radio 1 DJs. You might find them on the cover of a folk magazine like fRoots or in the pages of NME. Definable only by their restless eccentricity, there are no easy one-liners to capture who or what The Unthanks are, or much point in guessing what they'll do next.

This goes part way to explaining the depth and breadth of their many notable fans - Martin Freeman, Elvis Costello, Robert Wyatt, Ben Folds, Ryan Adams, Rosanne Cash, Dawn French, Paul Morley, Al Murray, Ewan McGregor and Nick Hornby, to name a few.

Colin Firth was recently added to that list when he personally invited The Unthanks to perform at a theatre show alongside himself, Keira Knightley, Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Ian McKlellan, Kelly MacDonald and Laura Marling. The televised event called The People Speak was a celebration of those in history who have spoken up and made a difference, as a reminder in our times of apathy that we all have a voice.

"….they make my heart beat faster, or smile a lot, or cry. I'm glad to be around at the same time as them."